Kindle v. Ipad as an e-reader

[eliza61]

I received a Kindle fire for Christmas and I'm loving it. I really didn't want to invest the extra dough for the ipad. I wouldn't take pictures with it since I have a DSLR, I wouldn't use it for music since I have a ipod and generally only use that when I'm at the gym. I don't check my email constantly and I don't watch movies on any thing but my tv.
So I just could not justify the 600 bucks to simply read books and magazines.
I can download books and magazines. they have a library where I can borrow a book a month also.

I've only had it for a month but so far it's great. I generally read about an hour before bed but I have it with me all the time. I haven't been bothered by the lighting but unfortunately rare are the times when I get to read for hours straight unless I'm on a plane.

 

[Amy]

I have a nook. We also have 2 iPad2s in the family. I loved my nook but once i started reading on the iPad it is hard to go back.

If you are traveling the iPad just has more in one. I can also share books with the iPods/iPads we have through itunes since we share the account. I got DH and kids another nook to share but if i buy books through barnes and noble it will only download to the one unit and not both.

Re sharing books on a Nook: it depends on how you have your B&N account set up. I recently upgraded from the original Nook to a Nook Tablet and gave DH my original Nook. We share the same B&N account, so all the books on that account are accessible on both the Nook and Nook Tablet. If you have separate B&N accounts for each Nook, then no, the books will only be downloaded to one Nook.

And as much as I love my Nook Tablet, I tend to agree that reading on the original Nook with e-ink was much easier on my eyes.

 

[brookmey]

I don't know if they're selling Kindles in brick and mortar stores these days, but I would absolutely try reading something on the Kindle screen, and also try a book on your iPad, before deciding.

I find that as I get older, I have more and more trouble reading when there's not a lot of contrast between the text and the background. The grey on grey e-ink on the Kindle is unusable for me. There's no contrast setting and no lighting that makes it comfortable for me to read on the thing. My mother has the same problem. I have a headache if I try, and she can't read the text at all.

The backlit screen on the iPad is perfect for both of us.

That's a good idea. I'll have to check around. Thanks!

 

[sbell111]

I take back my earlier post. It is unlikely that people will agree on anything.

 

[DVCLiz]

I take back my earlier post. It is unlikely that people will agree on anything.

lol I don't think anyone was being argumentative, it's just that so much of it rests with personal preference. I have and love my iPad - it is a wonderful, wonderful machine and as soon as the iPad 3 is available I will upgrade to it in a heartbeat (I skipped the iPad 2.)

But the eink readers are just a different breed, and the price point (another factor in favor of the Kindle line of products) is getting so reasonable that people can afford readers more easily than they could a few years ago. I shudder to think how much money I paid for the original Kindle and the two DX models I currently own. Now a basic Kindle is 79 bucks.

Most of the arguments I have seen on Kindle threads boil down to "Here's what I think, why won't you agree with me?" There are just too many variables involved - size, weight, cost, lighting options, special features like Text to Speech, lending capabilities, in store vs. online customer service, return policies, etc. etc. etc.

 

[DVCLiz]

I don't know if they're selling Kindles in brick and mortar stores these days, but I would absolutely try reading something on the Kindle screen, and also try a book on your iPad, before deciding.

I find that as I get older, I have more and more trouble reading when there's not a lot of contrast between the text and the background. The grey on grey e-ink on the Kindle is unusable for me. There's no contrast setting and no lighting that makes it comfortable for me to read on the thing. My mother has the same problem. I have a headache if I try, and she can't read the text at all.

The backlit screen on the iPad is perfect for both of us.

That's so interesting, Lynne, because so many people have the opposite experience, finding it difficult to read on a backlit screen but loving the eink. And the ability to change font sizes has been helpful to many older readers as well. Still, it's simply a matter of trying them out and seeing which kind works best for you.

 

[cc1013]

I have both an iPad 2 and Kindle Touch and agree that reading on the iPad does strain my eyes. I sit in front of a computer for much of the day, so I might be more sensitive to the backlight issue than others. While I do have the Kindle app on my iPad, I generally only use it for short spurts of reading. I absolutely love both my Kindle Touch (recently upgraded from the Kindle 2) and iPad 2, but for very different reasons.

 

[sbell111]

... And the ability to change font sizes has been helpful to many older readers as well. ...

Does the Kindle not let you change font sizes?

 

[jrmasm]

Does the Kindle not let you change font sizes?

Yes it does.

 

[dngnb8]

 

[sbell111]

Yes it does.

So does the iPad.

 

[jrmasm]

So does the iPad.

Not sure why you're quoting me.

 

[sookie]

i can read on my kindle fire in the dark.

 

[DVCLiz]

My point was just that as older readers, the ability to change font sizes has been helpful - whether you are using a Kindle or an iPad. That comment did not have anything to do with the discussion about the two different types of readers - it was just a random comment about readers and older readers.

Sookie, the Kindle Fire is an LCD tablet, not an eink screen - as of course you know. I think most people who ask if they can read "a Kindle" in bed are probably asking about the eink versions.